Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi
Encyclopedia
Mohamed Diriye Abdullahi is a Somali
-Canadian
scholar, linguist, writer and translator.
, Abdullahi emigrated to Canada
, where he earned a Master's degree
and a Ph.D.
in linguistics
from the Université de Montréal
in Montreal
. He also earned a higher diploma in the instruction of French as a second language at the Université de Franche-comté
in Besançon
, France
.
Abdullahi is fluent in Somali
, Arabic
, English
and French
. His research interests include the study of the Afro-Asiatic languages
in general (particularly its Cushitic
branch), as well as Somali history and culture.
He has also written numerous books, notably Culture and Customs of Somalia published by Greenwood Publishing Group in 2001, where he addresses the obscure origins of the Somali people
, among other topics.
Abdullahi currently teaches linguistics at the Université de Montréal. He also works as a freelance translator and language consultant.
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
-Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
scholar, linguist, writer and translator.
Biography
Formerly a journalist in his native SomaliaSomalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, Abdullahi emigrated to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where he earned a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
and a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
from the Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. He also earned a higher diploma in the instruction of French as a second language at the Université de Franche-comté
University of Franche-Comté
The University of Franche-Comté is a French university in the Academy of Besançon with five campuses: Besançon , Belfort , Montbéliard , Vesoul , and Lons-le-Saunier ....
in Besançon
Besançon
Besançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Abdullahi is fluent in Somali
Somali language
The Somali language is a member of the East Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Its nearest relatives are Afar and Oromo. Somali is the best documented of the Cushitic languages, with academic studies beginning before 1900....
, Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. His research interests include the study of the Afro-Asiatic languages
Afro-Asiatic languages
The Afroasiatic languages , also known as Hamito-Semitic, constitute one of the world's largest language families, with about 375 living languages...
in general (particularly its Cushitic
Cushitic languages
The Cushitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family spoken in the Horn of Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan and Egypt. They are named after the Biblical character Cush, who was identified as an ancestor of the speakers of these specific languages as early as AD 947...
branch), as well as Somali history and culture.
He has also written numerous books, notably Culture and Customs of Somalia published by Greenwood Publishing Group in 2001, where he addresses the obscure origins of the Somali people
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
, among other topics.
Abdullahi currently teaches linguistics at the Université de Montréal. He also works as a freelance translator and language consultant.
Major publications
- Abdullahi, Mohamed Diriye, Culture and Customs of Somalia, (Greenwood Publishing Group: 2001). ISBN 0313313334 ISBN 9780313313332
- Abdullahi, Mohamed Diriye, Parlons somali (French Edition), (L'Harmattan: 1996). ISBN 2738448984 ISBN 978-2738448989
- Abdullahi, Mohamed Diriye, Fiasco in Somalia: US-UN intervention, (Africa Institute of South Africa: 1995). ISBN 0798301252 ISBN 978-0798301251
Manuscripts and projects
- Is Somali a Tone Language? -- Paper demonstrating that Somali is not a tonal language.
- The Evolution and Meaning of the Cardinal Directions in Somali -- Paper showing how the four words for the cardinal directions in the Somali language evolved into their present forms.
- The Diachronic Development of the Progressive in Somali -- Paper discussing the formation of the progressive tense in the Somali language.
Dissertation
- Le somali, dialectes, et histoire -- Examination, analysis and classification of linguistic varieties spoken in Somalia and collectively dubbed "Somali".
External links
- Diriye's Homepage
- The Somali Language Page - maintained by Abdullahi